SANTA ANA, Calif. — A sentencing hearing in Orange County Superior Court took a dramatic turn July 28 when the victim of an attempted murder accused the man pleading guilty of abusing his daughter, only for the daughter to address the court moments later and deny the allegations, accusing her parents of lying as the court prepared to impose a negotiated seven-year prison sentence.
The man signed a plea agreement for a reduced sentence of seven years in state prison. Before sentencing, members of the victims’ family each gave statements. The victim of the attempted murder claimed the man had assaulted and abused his daughter. However, the daughter argued in favor of the convicted man, instead accusing her parents of lying.
The man was charged with several felonies, including attempted murder, assault with a firearm and criminal threats. He signed a plea agreement in which he pleaded guilty to all charges in exchange for a reduced sentence.
Deputy District Attorney Peter DeYoung told the court the victims were present and had requested to make statements before sentencing.
The man who had been shot at by the convicted man said his family’s entire life had changed because of the harm they suffered. The victim claimed the entire family lives in fear that the convicted man may send someone else to attack them.
The victim accused the convicted man, who was his daughter’s boyfriend at the time, of hitting her and yelling at her. He said the man had “taken away her innocence” and sent the family videos of their relationship.
The victim also claimed the harassment had extended to his younger daughter, who has Down syndrome.
Public Defender Miles Jessup requested that the victim remain focused on the charged crimes, but Judge Larry Yellin overruled the request, finding the statements reflected the “motivation” behind the crimes.
The male victim argued the plea agreement was unfair because it gave the man a shorter sentence, leaving the family uncertain about what would happen after his release in seven years.
The victim’s wife also took the stand, saying she was not comfortable with the sentence because of the harm the convicted man had caused their family.
The wife, who was a victim of the criminal threats, recounted the convicted man threatening to “send” her husband to “be dead with [his] brother.” She asserted he showed no remorse when her husband’s mother died and even claimed he was happy she had died.
Before sentencing, DeYoung announced he had just been informed that the daughter also wanted to make a statement.
The daughter told the court she does not fear him. She contended the allegations of abuse against her — the hitting and the yelling — were all lies told by her parents. She maintained the convicted man would never try to rape her and that what he did was not intentional.
The convicted man stood in the holding cell smiling as he nodded his head.
After her statement, the daughter quietly returned to her seat two rows behind her parents.
The sharply conflicting accounts underscored the central dispute during the sentencing hearing, with the parents describing abuse and intimidation while the daughter rejected those allegations and defended the man despite his guilty plea to attempted murder and other felony charges.
Judge Yellin proceeded with sentencing after hearing statements from both sides.
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